Sisters reunited after 18 years in checkout counter miners refuse to work after death. In the following examples of misplaced modifiers, the adjective in boldface currently modifies the noun it is closest to underlined. Although dangling and misplaced modifiers can pose some serious problems in writing, they can be fun to read. A misplaced modifier occurs when a word or phrase is placed too far from the word it describes. The evening was fun, playing video games and listening to rap. Misplacedanddanglingmodifiers 1 misplaced and dangling modifiers a misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that is improperly separated from the word or clause it modifies or describes. It occurs when the modifier has no clear referent, often causing confusion and twisting the meaning of words in an unintended. Examples of misplaced modifiers show us how important it is to place our modifying words and phrases in the proper place. It refers to a phrase or clause that acts on something other than what the writer intended. Some of the worksheets for this concept are dangling and misplaced modifiers, misplaced modifiers, 7 misplaced and dangling modifiers, grammar work misplaced and dangling participles, name date misplaced and dangling m e 1, misplaced modifiers, misplaced modifiers introductory project, name date misplaced modifiers. The clerk handed a vanilla icecream cone to the boy covered with. Today guestwriter bonnie trenga is going to help us take a break from serious grammar and instead delve into the world of comedysome intentional, some not. Dangling modifiers are often found at the beginnings of sentences as is the case of the first. Have learners read their example aloud to the class and explain what makes it funny.
Displaying top 8 worksheets found for misplaced modifier. I gave olives to my friend that i stabbed with my fork. Pdf learning proper grammar and usage rules for the english language can be a. There are several hilarious newspaper headlines that perfectly illustrate this. Consider including one example of a misplaced modifier and one example of a dangling modifier for each student as well. September 4, 2009 general grammar grammar girl here. When modifiers are used incorrectly, the reader may not understand the details of the sentence. Unlike a misplaced modifier, a dangling modifier cannot be corrected by simply moving it to a different place in a sentence.
Because of this separation, its not clear what is being described in the sentence. When used correctly, modifiers add interest and depth to your writing. A dangling modifier is a phrase or clause that is not clearly and logically related to the word or words it modifies i. Youve probably heard the term misplaced modifier before. Swinging from a giant tire, the tourists were delighted by the gorilla. Einstein explains the difference between a misplaced modifier and a dangling modifier. In prescriptive grammar, misplaced modifiers are usually regarded as errors. Misplaced, interrupting, and dangling modifiers blinn college. A dangling modifier is a phrase or clause that either modifies no word in the sentence or refers to the wrong word. A dangling modifier is a phrase or clause that modifies a word not clearly stated in the. Jones was proud that on her first hunting trip, she was able to shoot several animals as well as her husband. A dangling modifier is a phrase or clause that is not clearly and logically related to. The waiter served a dinner roll that was well buttered to the woman.
Hilariously misplaced modifiers and other blunders pr daily. Illustrated misplaced modifier examples to make you smile scribendi. A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that is located incorrectly in. A misplaced modifier can make a sentence confusing or unintentionally funny. The modifier is in the wrong position relative to what it should be affecting 2.
A dangling modifier fails to refer logically to any. It was not the alarm clock that was sleeping soundly. Illustrated misplaced modifier examples to make you smile. Misplaced modifiers, for example, can create some pretty funny double meanings.